Hi!
I've had mine since July 2020, I'm 80 weeks in and a high frequency user (top 10% according to the stats you get each year). To answer your questions:
How do you choose your classes? There are SO many and I feel overwhelmed even choosing a yoga for tonight!
The app is a bit less intuitive than the bike interface (when it arrives) so don't worry if it all looks like a massive library and you don't know where to start just now.
Programs is a good place to start. I started with Mastering the Basics -a program that gets you used to cycling, the different instructors and their styles. It's 6 weeks. There's a new short version "You can ride" that's just 3 weeks. Once I did that I got an idea of what I liked from that, I started picking rides from "Collections" which is basically an A-Z of music artist themed rides. It was a bit random and I wanted more structure, so I started looking at all the peloton groups on facebook. I found one for mums in my profession and they had a timetable and various challenges and that gave me more structure. Once I'd hit ride 100, I did Discover Your Powerzones. This is a program for improving your cycling output. You do a test on the bike and then the graphics update with your own personalised power bar and you use this to train. I've kind of got addicted to this and been doing various Powerzone Challenges ever since.
For strength I started with "Total Strength" and "Total Strength 2", 2 programs by one of the instructors. There is also a facebook group called Hardcore on the Floor which posts daily "stacks" (a clutch of 10 and 20 minute classes to put together each day) on a monthly calendar.
The instructors are also active on social media and post their own stacks, calendars and recommendations.
There are programs dedicated to core, boxing, various forms of spinning/cycling, yoga...everything really...even sleep meditation.
I would suggest getting started with one of the riding basics programs and just have a browse to find other programs over time. Find a group that suits you on fb. UK Ladies Peloton is good but huge now.
On the full version can you see a timetable of live classes? Is there a way to preview this before my all access membership kicks in?
Yes, look at the schedule tab in the app. But honestly, live classes become a really small part of it for most people. People usually do them on their birthday or a special number (100th ride etc) for a shout out rather than day in day out.
Any tips on carving out time from family life? When do you do it and how do you keep accountable.
I have 3 kids -aged 10, 7 and 3. Honestly -I just have to get up early. I keep accountable by engaging in various challenges and programs so that I always have a goal or a deadline to complete. Every month you can sign up for 3 challenges on the bike based on active days, miles cycled, number of strength and you can get gold, silver and bronze. I make gold my minimum in all three as my regular accountability. But I usually have some additional accountability through a couple of challenges through soc med.
Hope that helps.